Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-03-13
A CHANCE MEETING.


va tit fuitNS} tbIkt}sNt, VIII MS lllDl
thrust deeply into the capacious pock
cts OF his fur-lined coat, and with hi
tmvelling-cap pulled low over his eyes
doubt IL there were so wretched
man in the whole OF that London OK
press.
There was terrible storm on. FOR
was the Christmas-lcve OF ~, on,
destined TO be memorable night Ii
the annals Of the weather alinanacs
but as he sat there Watching the snoy
being hurled in compact maSsesagains
the windows, John Challoncr felt Ger
tain grim satisfaction that mature shoulC
be in accordance with his owl! tem
pestuous thoughts. lie was not yer,
sure OF their present whereabouts, bu
as far as be could judge, the trair
was already some hours late, anC
was progressing at a very slow rate in
deed. Wen, what did il matter, after
all. whether or not he were homo in
time for tho Christmas-day? The big,
dreary house, that o girls young pre-.
sence had seemed to food with sun
shine, would appear even bigger and
drearier now that that girl had left il
forever. There would be Sarah,
of course, the silent elder sis
ter, who had watched over Johns
motherless boyhood, and who loved
him with so jealous q devotion ;
but, then--Sareh wasn't Madge,
and it was Madge he wanted. Not that
he would have admitted as much for q
moment; that would have been too
ridiculous, when it was only last night
after somewhat prolonged visit TO the
Scottish metropolis, that no had been
talking 10 lawyer in Edinburgh and
giving him instructions about the draw
ing up Of the paper which was to scpa-
rate the husband and wife. John was
TO go his way and Madge was to go
hers. And this was the end of those
four years of married life which
had opened so brightly and well this
was the end of that first tiny quarrel,
when Challoner had forgotten the pro-
mise to take his girl-wife TO an especial
dance, and had spent the evening
among the books which had been the
sole companion Of his hitherto solitary
life. Whose actual fault was it that
things had come to this pass {? In what
had the trouble consisted, that there
had been such Earring in the home that
they had ultimately decided to live
their lives apart
The train went slower and slower
the freshly fallen snow lay in high
banks on either side; but John Chal-
loner's thoughts never wandered from
the old sore subject. One 10y one he
recalled the various landmarks of those
four years. How bitterly Sarah had
resented the advent of the young
bride; how impossible he had found
it TO live society life with
Madge and yet get through
the necessary literary work which
meant his livelihood how eagerly his
young cousin, Charlie Thorne, had
volunteered 10 take her to dances and
80 on in his stead. Then he recalled
their little daughters birth, and the
glad hopes that had sprung into life as
he took his tiny Christmas rose in his
stalwart arms and tried to trace the
MOTHERHOOD in the baby features But
the baby had only lived to see
her second birthday, and with her
death "the rift within the lutte"
had slowly widened, and the faint
music which she had echoed in their
daily lives was turned into jangling dis
cord. "Madge was fonder of young
Thorne than of John himself" Sarah |
had averred and the poor fellow had |
been forced to acquiesce, when barely |
had the dead child been laid to rest be- |
fore her mother had taken up the old |
whirl of dissipation, with Charlie
Thorne In constant attendance.
There was nothing, / think, which |
John Challoner felt so bitterly as this
same apparent hard-heartedness. 1t is
not often that men care for very young
children, but this curly headed little
daughter had been simply worshipped
by her father. The fact that this man
was q poet both by nature and profess
sion may perhaps have helped him in
his love and comprehension of what
Theodore Watts so beautifully calls
"the music of human speech-the be-
loved babble of children" but certain
il is that he had set high hopes upon
this little one. The highest OF all was
that she would bind his beautiful wife
closer to him ; but the baby had died
and was under the snow, and the dead
hopes were buried in the scrap OF law
yers' parchment which another week
would see signed and attested.
How bitterly cold it was, to be sure
The hot-water cans had been useless
long ago, and the windows were coated
with frozen snow; but yet he never re-
GREETED. having taken the journey.
Albeit they were English folk,
Madge's home and belongings were
in Edinburgh, and Challoner had
preferred leaving the question
of settlements with those who
would be careful for Madge's in
terests rather than in less friendly
hands. OF course there had been no
actual obligation to go North in person
but Challoner, jealous for his wife's
had dreaded the matter be-
ing discussed by unnecessary tongues.
The separation. was purely personal
affair, and was being settled by the
family solicitors without any further
appeal to the law.
There were only two other pas5en-
gers in his compartment, and to rouse
himself from his gloomy abstraction he
began listening to their conversation.
They were both young, rather sport
men, and one had evidently
been describing to the other the per-
sonal appearance of some unknown
lady.
"She is thorough little beauty, I
tell you, and i flatter myself I'm good
Judge, was his enthusiastic conclusion.
Shouldn't mind travelling up to town
with her myself"
"Why don't you, then ?" came in
answer.
The first speaker laughed. 81
darent, my boy. She has gorgon Of {
p maid with her, who is even more
freezing than this beastly weather. Tell
you what, though, at the next station
LII try to get her some tea or some
thing, and thatll pave the way to q
chat"
Challoner overwhelmingly Such
talk was peculiarly distasteful to him,
and for the first time il struck him that
Tor the future his Madge would be open
TO any and every chance insult which
men such as his fellow-trayellers might ,
choose to put upon her. The very s
n. Ia